1. Golden Axe
Back in the days of the Sega Mega Drive, Golden Axe was considered an industry standard. Now it is considered by many as an excellent classic filled with nostalgia and glory, but if Golden Axe was released now then it would classed as laughable. Now, just to make it clear, I am aware that a current generation Golden Axe was released and endured highly negative reviews. Although, as I mentioned above, what I am discussing is different from this. Ignoring the graphics and gaming platform, the would still be considered a joke. The game mechanics of Golden Axe are not outdated. Side-scrolling games are still developed and released to good reviews and sales. Two dimensional games are also still being released to good reviews. The main idea of Golden Axe would still be accepted today. So if it was released now, with well animated and designed 2D (or 3D) graphics and on current generation consoles, it wouldn't be out of place. I do believe that it would still be considered fun nowadays. Though, there are a number of factors that would stop it being considered standard. The main factor is due to what I consider one of the main things that have changed in the industry. This being the need for games with longevity. Golden Axe could be completed in an hour or so and that was it. There's options to increase or decrease health and also to play co-op but the story is only an hour or so in length. Today, this would be a laughable length for a game and would be harshly criticised because of this. A retail game also only having a couple of game modes, none of which could be played for a decent length of time would also be a target for criticism. Golden Axe was released to critical acclaim with reviews in the 90%'s, winning awards and being ported to numerous different platforms but if it was released now, the short length of the game would be criticised, the lack of features preyed upon and the game itself shunned.